Formidable Formicidae

Formidable Formicidae

Consider the lowly Ants, who have inhabited this planet since Dinosaur times (110-150 million years ago).

Who are we humans to hold them in such low regard?

Ant colonies comprise "Super Organisms", which act in a perfect unison unparalleled even by mankind.

Together inside their nests they form living structures made up entirely of fellow Ants.

Ants thrive on every continent other than Antartica and can easily adapt to urban environments.

Although miniscule in size, these industrious insects always alter their surroundings to suit their needs.

Much larger creatures are brought down by teams of small and medium workers as well as soldiers.

A Queen commands millions of female subjects while wasp-like males (Drones) are reserved for breeding.

All-in-all, Ants represent an evolutionary pinnacle at their tiny organic scale.

In truth, we're the ones intruding on a civilization that might ultimately outlive our own!

Image: Ant Holding Micro-Chip (colorized).

---

Enjoyed this piece? Read its SEQUEL: Ant-Ology.

Share |

Elegy A La Gonzo

---

 

In memory of Hunter S. Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005)

---

Elegy A La Gonzo

Why thinkest thou not of the sages?

For Hunter was that and much more
Consciously unleashing dramatic assaults on our psyches
An erratic investigator; a sagacious degenerate
Clearly discernible as a force of nature
When combined with his comrade in karma.

Surely you catch the reference?

The last working pair of prototypical troglodytes
Wrecking balls in full swing
Aimed squarely at the kisser of social conformity
And its banal expectations of all things obsolete
Knowing that which can't be lost even as the present fades.

Committed to the void, for eons unto madness —

Drift

           Through

                              The

                                        Deepest

                                                         Recess
                        
                                                                        Of

                                                                                The

                                                                                          Real !

Image courtesy of: A Wolf Illustrations

Share |

On The Meanings Of A Masque

On The Meanings Of A Masque

---

 

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." ~ Oscar Wilde

---

 

A mask might let one see to what degree real life has become mere falsity.

Indeed, many of us wear invisible masks (personas) and act out our socially prescribed roles.

But masks aren't just for concealing identities; they can also permit people to connect with their shadow side as well as confident alter egos.

In theatre for example, a mask helps an actor to trade out his or her character by hiding behind different dramatis personæ.

Unconscious corners of psyche can thus be illuminated or enacted through multiple personalities reordered.

Thus, masks reveal that much of what we consider to be an essential part of our own inner makeup is simply habitual.

The fluidity of a consummate actor is something that more people should strive for. Instead, we tend toward inertia and inflexibility.

Skilled thespians stalk their usual Selves, which most of us take for granted and believe to be rather unchangeable.

Since we're already acting out parts to begin with, a little detachment would allow us to excel at the Masquerade that reality has become.

Prediction: Mask-wearing will soon be en vogue as a mode of individualistic expression. Anonymous, V and Guy Fawkes were just the start of this far-reaching trend.

Share |

Oh Incompatibility

Oh Incompatibility

Every pot does have its lid but hey: some of us are Pans

Pan-theistic, pan-optical, pan-tonality!

She aptly called it The Curse of Being Well-Rounded

Neither altogether here, nor left behind back there

An overflowing plenum, which even the finest vessel can't contain

Wayward rivers break down dams to flood valleys

Alone in their totality — liquid outrunning quiddity

Landing us between despair and disparity

Once we were conjoined; sharing joy as well as sorrow

Yet those yesterdays have gone, with no promise of tomorrow.

Our time together endeth now

May he treat you right . . . Never quite knew how.

Image: Weeping Ofelia courtesy of ~ belldandies

Share |

Vedic vs. Tantric Hinduism (Mythic May Vol. 8)

Vedic vs. Tantric Hinduism

---

Author's Note: This article is in reference to The Soma Tantra

---

Differences and disagreements among religious factions don't necessarily indicate that spiritual truths aren't real, but that we as humans can't communicate them very well.

If you study any religion enough (whether Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) you soon discover that even within its own canonical corpus, few theologians can see eye to eye.

'Hinduism' as such is a blanket term for several strains of Indian philosophy that focus on particular deities and what they represent, without much in the way of uniformity.

Some Hindu sects reflect the Vedic caste system brought by Aryan invaders while others represent the Tantric traditions of Indus Valley Dravidians.

Historically, a process known as religious syncretism (merging) occurred between these Vedic and Dravidian denominations; giving rise to the rich panoply of Hindu polytheism.

Since 'Hinduism' bears the influence of disparate schools of thought, some sociological friction between its Vedic and Tantric strains still exists.

Class struggles borne out by the Varna caste system (as well as between various ethnic groups) definitely appear to be hidden within the subtext of Hindu mythology.

For example, Brahma and Vishnu usually exemplify Aryan-Vedic ideals and morals whereas Shiva and Kali are Tantric-Dravidian forces of unrestrained freedom.

Devotees of Vishnu are thus referred to as Vaishnavas, while Shiva's followers are called Shaivas, Shaivites, or Siva Sadhus. Shakti (the divine feminine) actually outweighs Brahma (a patriarchal creator god) in this Eastern schema.

Analogously, this competition between Vedic and Tantric ways of thinking / acting was also mirrored by the ancient Greeks with their Apollo-Dionysus dichotomy. Indeed, Nietzche extrapolated it to full effect in his seminal debut: The Birth of Tragedy. Even renown Indologist Alain Danielou documented it extensively in a very fine piece of comparative religion: Gods of Love and Ecstacy.

The Soma Tantra is a contemporary work of Mythic fiction that portrays said friction between Vedic and Tantric branches of Hinduism as a war upon the moon between the Devatas and Ashuras (gods and demons, respectively).

Only those capable of delving beneath the surface of such a fantastic tale will see through to the deepest layer of its abstracted narrative...

---

Further Reading: Past Issues of Mythic May

Share |

Meditating On The Fields of Naraka (Mythic May Vol. 7)

Meditating On The Fields of Naraka

Skandha, son of Shiva Mahadeva, sits firmly lodged in samadhi

Awoken to the harsh reality of suffering amid ephemeral qualia

A world set ablaze by impure desires and all our best intentions

Charnels filled with piled-up corpses felled in war, famine or plague

Endless transmigration of finite souls learning lessons for ascension

During darkest times concentrate on those awful fields of Naraka

Pain is a purifier, an agent of both Karma and Dharma

Everything experienced is reciprocal; always balancing out

No one is altogether righteous or evil, innocent or to blame

This plenum of open-ended possibilities refines sentient beings

Cosmic Christ within is perpetually nailed onto crosses

Transcending death despite misleading appearances

Skandha bearing heat from flames, transmutes it to bliss

Defying, nay, reifying unassailable natural laws

Cracked universal egg making way for the phoenix...

---

Further Reading: Past Issues of Mythic May

Share |